Chapter 31: This Boy Must Not Be Allowed to Live!

After parting ways with Li Hui, Ao Xin and his companion continued their drive eastward.

An alliance with Li Hui certainly offered many benefits. In the future, once Li Hui’s influence grew, Ao Xin could leverage his privileges as a "God-Gifted Member" to trade with Li Hui’s faction and earn points.

After three days of driving east without finding any more Devil Fruits, Ao Xin decided to turn back. It had been seventeen days since he left home, and the world had completely descended into the apocalypse. Water and power supplies were cut off everywhere, traffic was paralyzed, and everything human civilization had relied upon was destroyed.

Military crackdowns by various nations had only served to catalyze the evolution of the zombies. Across the ocean, the Bald Eagles and the Northern Bears had even resorted to using nuclear weapons in an attempt to eradicate the zombie hordes. The result, however, was the emergence of the "Fur-Zombies"—a three-star zombie variant even more formidable than the common undead. Now, those regions had become death zones, devoid of life, serving as a playground for the zombies.

The collapse of satellite systems meant that navigation was no longer functional. However, relying on his memories and experience from his previous life, Ao Xin maintained his sense of direction and distance as they headed home.

Along the way, Ao Chen suddenly exclaimed, "Brother! A treasure! There’s a treasure! I can sense it again!"

Ao Xin immediately followed her guidance and drove toward the location. They were in a peri-urban area where the zombie population was relatively sparse.

On the road, he had experimented with a theory of his, but the results were disappointing. Ao Chen’s level was too low, and despite possessing a Mythical Zoan-type ability, she lacked the raw physical strength to back it up. Even after he disabled a zombie by removing its limbs, it took Ao Chen a long time to decapitate one.

Nevertheless, the rate at which they were gaining points had increased significantly. He knew that before long, the point-earning rules of the God-Gifted Space would change. Once that happened, points would no longer be awarded solely for kills, but would be split based on the damage dealt to the zombies. Opportunities to "fleece the system" like this were rare. In his past life, he had struggled at the very bottom of the apocalypse and had never enjoyed such an advantage.

This time, while letting Ao Chen "fleece" the points had its benefits, there were downsides. The disadvantage was that Ao Chen missed out on combat experience, which slowed her growth. One had to understand that the path of Haki was forged entirely through physical training and battle. In the apocalypse, falling behind even a single step meant staying behind. Those who stood at the peak were those who fought incessantly to maintain their edge.

The car arrived near a farmhouse resort, which featured an orchard. It must have been a bustling business before the end of the world, but now, many of the trees had been trampled by zombies.

As the two stepped out of the vehicle and prepared to walk into the orchard, a man stepped out, wielding a machete tied to a wooden stick.

He appeared to be in his thirties, his face weathered from years of farming and cooking at the resort. Yet, when Ao Xin saw him, his expression shifted.

It was him.

"Who are you people!" the man shouted in a rough voice, raising his makeshift weapon toward them.

"We are..." Ao Chen began to explain, but before she could finish, Ao Xin swung his steel whip, shattering the man’s skull.

"Brother?" Ao Chen was stunned. Although her brother had become cold and ruthless, he had never killed without reason before.

"He was one of my enemies from my past life," Ao Xin explained calmly.

Behind them, a shrill scream pierced the air: "Dayong! Ah! I’m going to kill you all!"

Turning around, they saw a middle-aged woman rushing toward them, crazed, clutching a kitchen knife. Hearing her screams, two elderly people emerged from the house. They looked sturdy; one held a hoe, the other a shovel. Upon seeing the man’s corpse, they were struck with grief and shock.

"Xiaoyong!" the elderly man trembled. Seeing the blood on Ao Xin’s whip, they immediately understood what had happened.

"Brother?" Ao Chen felt uneasy, unsure of what to do.

But Ao Xin had already sprung into action. Ten seconds later, three more corpses lay on the ground. He did not stop there; he kicked open the door and entered the house. Inside, a three or four-year-old boy stared at him in terror.

Ao Chen followed from behind. She had only heard her brother say it was an enemy from a past life, yet he had slaughtered everyone. But regardless of the grudge, a toddler could hardly pose a threat to him.

Looking back at Ao Chen, Ao Xin lowered his whip. "Give me your knife."

As she handed it over, she asked nervously, "Are you going to kill the child, too?"

Ao Xin smiled. "I’ll give him a chance."

He retrieved a piece of "Water-Water Meat" and placed both the meat and the knife in front of the boy. "Pick one. If you pick the right one, I won't kill you."

The boy’s trembling eyes darted between the knife and the meat, eventually focusing on Ao Xin’s face, as if trying to etch the man’s features into his memory.

*Thump!*

The steel whip slammed heavily against the floor, and Ao Xin’s eyes radiated killing intent. The boy, terrified, immediately grabbed the meat and looked at Ao Xin with a pleading gaze.

Ao Chen asked, "Brother, he chose the meat. Are you still going to kill him?"

Ao Xin replied coldly, "I killed his entire family, yet he chose the meat instead of the knife. A child with such deep, hidden intentions cannot be left alive!"

With that, under the boy’s terrified gaze, he raised his whip and crushed the boy’s skull.

Ao Chen: "!!!"

She was confused. "What if he had chosen the knife?"

Ao Xin said, "Choosing the knife would mean he holds a grudge and wants to kill me. Anyone who wants to kill me must die."

Ao Chen: "???"

"And if he chose both?"

Ao Xin: "Greedy and insatiable. By the time he grows up, killing me wouldn't be enough—he’d want to wipe out our whole family. That makes him even more of a threat."

Ao Chen was shocked: "What if he chose neither?"

As Ao Xin walked toward the other rooms, he answered, "If he dares to disregard me now, who knows what he’d do to me later? Even more reason to eliminate him."

Ao Chen: "..." She rested her hand on her forehead. "So, he had to die regardless, right? Why go through all that trouble?"

"Anyway, what kind of grudge did you have with this family that you had to wipe them out completely?"

Ao Xin meticulously searched every room, including every corner, cabinet, and space under the beds.

"What are you looking for? There are no Devil Fruits here."

Ao Xin continued to ransack the place, his voice echoing over the sound of falling objects: "Just making sure there are no stragglers!"

Ao Chen asked, puzzled, "You can't hide a person in a jewelry box! Are you really going to search through plastic bags too?"

Ao Xin reasoned, "Who knows if someone ate some strange Devil Fruit? Maybe one that lets them turn into a plastic bag or shrink in size."

After a thorough search confirmed nothing remained, he led Ao Chen away. Before departing, he doused the house with flammable liquids like cooking oil and exhaled a burst of heat, setting the structure ablaze.

Watching the fire with satisfaction, he said to Ao Chen, "Go look for the Devil Fruits. The fire will reach the orchard soon."